


Curve Ball: A Negan & Blake AU

by EventHorizons13



Series: Alternate Negan and Blake Stories [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Professional Baseball player, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Profession Baseball Player Negan, Protective Negan (Walking Dead)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:01:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23655769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: Negan has it all. Fortune, fame, and a job as a professional athlete. He meets Blake by chance one night in a bar and knows that she is different from his normal one night stands
Relationships: Negan (Walking Dead)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Alternate Negan and Blake Stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075547
Kudos: 6





	1. Unknown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KittyKatZorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatZorse/gifts).
  * Inspired by [I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12913611) by [KittyKatZorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatZorse/pseuds/KittyKatZorse). 



> A huge thank you to KittyKatZorse for allowing me to play with her absolutely wonderful OC Blake. I have a blast throwing these two in a multitude of different alternate universe settings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan is looking for a relaxing evening. He runs into a gorgeous woman by the name of Blake at a bar.

There wasn't a lot of places Negan could go where he wouldn't be mobbed. It came with the territory of course, given his high profile career. People wanted pictures, autographs, whatever they could get. He took it for what it was, hell most of the time he enjoyed the attention. Especially when it came to the ladies. There were times though that he would prefer to just remain unnoticed so he could get a drink or a meal without having a phone shoved in his face. 

Still, Negan found himself needing a drink so he decided to give it a go. The team wouldn't be leaving for their road trip until tomorrow evening so he was able to have a couple drinks and relax. There was a camera flash or two as he went into the bar but beyond that, it remained relatively quiet. He found himself breathing a small sigh of relief, a smile coming to his face. Shoulders relaxed before he moved towards the bar and settled against a stool. Ordering himself a whiskey straight, he settled in for what he hoped would be a somewhat peaceful night for him. It was a ritual he tried to maintain before every away game. Athletes were superstitious and he wasn't the exception to the rule.

Sipping his drink, the quiet lasted as the bar tender didn't say a thing about his appearance. They were often smart enough to not garner attention to whoever sat down. It ensured them some good tips and continued business. As soon as a body slid into the seat beside him, he was sure that his peace and quiet was over. Shoulders tensed as he tried to anticipate when the phone would be shoved in his direction or he would be asked for an autograph. But it never came. Minutes passed and his peace remained unbroken. Despite the fact that he enjoyed it, he found himself curious about it. 

Glancing to his side, he was surprised to see a woman who couldn't be bothered to look at him. Now that was unusual and just made him even more curious. He generally made it a rule of thumb that his last roll in the hay before a road trip would come on the night he went to drink. And the woman beside him was gorgeous. Not just the usual way, no. Negan was actually caught off guard by who he was looking at. Soft skin, full lips that were curled up into what he felt was a genuine smile, and golden locks that any woman would likely die for. He took in every feature, finding himself openly staring. Which of course ended up catching the woman's attention. So, he turned on the charm and smirked as she looked in his direction.

"Hello gorgeous." When the woman rolled her eyes, he was surprised.

"Listen buddy, I am not here to pick anyone up. So you can just give up on that right now." That was the first time in recent memory that a woman had turned him down without more than a hello. Hell, turned him down at all was more like it. Negan blinked and tried to find his center quickly so he could turn this around.

"Easy there doll. No need for the claws right away. Shit." He chuckled as he took a sip of his whiskey. That didn't seem to calm her down any. In fact, it seemed to make her bristle a little more. "You really have no idea who I am do you?"

"A jackass sitting at a bar who thinks he is going to get lucky when really he can't take a hint. Beyond that? Doesn't matter." Her personalty matched her looks and Negan found himself drawn in more. The problem? She wasn't one who would obviously cave easily in one night. He at least needed a name and a number if he planned on making more of this before he left. Maybe he could start with paying for her drinks. He caught the bartenders eyes and motioned between the two subtly to make sure it was understood.

"Name's Negan." He wasn't going to push too hard right now. Though he wanted to see what would happen if he tossed his name out. Even those who weren't really sports fans knew his name these days. There was still not a hint of recognition from the woman. 

"Good for you." He watched as her shoulders fell a little bit. Maybe that was her feeling just a bit bad about how she had been treating him. So, instead of saying anything else, he waited to see what she would do. After a few moments, nothing else came and he was a little disappointed. He had thought that she would have said something after the drop of her shoulders. Shifting back so he sat facing the bar once again, he decided to let it go. He got the hint. If a woman said no, he wasn't going to keep pushing. Her drinks would still be paid for even if their interactions were limited to what had already happened.

About fifteen more minutes passed and Negan hadn't expected her to say anything else when she turned to face him a bit.

"Look I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been that much of a bitch. I just, most guys don't know how to take a hint. It's just easier to be that harsh off the bat to turn them away." She sighed a bit and Negan finally looked towards her. "I'm just not looking to go home with anyone. I came for a drink and that's it."

"I can understand that." He wasn't going to fault her for it since she was finally talking to him now. She nodded while taking a sip of her drink. She seemed more relaxed now than she had when he had first spoken to her.

"I'm Blake." Now he at least had a name and he found himself smirking again. 

"Well Blake, it's nice to meet you." He held out his hand for her. It didn't take more than a second for her to reach out and shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you too Negan." She turned back to face the bar. He was half way there, now he just needed to close the deal.


	2. Unsettled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan isn't someone who gets caught up on someone. Blake won't leave his mind though and it's driving him crazy.

Negan hadn't managed to get Blake's number the first night he had met her. A frustrating fact that he let on to no one. He couldn't, it would hurt his image and the persona that he had managed to build up with the rest of the team. But she never once left his mind. That entire road trip, he had tried to distract himself. Either with the game or with a woman here and there. Nothing worked well enough. Her soft smile and bright eyes kept popping up in his head no matter what he did.

So, as soon as he got back, he went back to the bar. Every night for a week he was in the same damn seat. Each night that passed when she didn't show up, he felt himself thinking that maybe it just wasn't meant to be. As upset as the thought made him. A fact that he refused to examine. He didn't know this woman, he shouldn't have been as caught up on her as he was. 

He was about to give up when the seat beside him was occupied. Glancing over, he couldn't help the spreading grin that tugged his lips when he saw that it was Blake sitting next to him once again. 

"Fancy seeing you here again doll." She rolled her eyes though this time, there was a hint of a smile. A much better reaction than he had gotten last night. He would count himself lucky.

"Now I think you are stalking me." 

"Never dream of such a thing." He winked playfully before shifting in his seat to be able to face her. 

"What brings you back to this bar Mr. Big Shot." Oh, she had done some research since he had last seen her. Maybe it was in his best interest to be honest with her. 

"Was hoping to see you again." She looked skeptical as a brow cocked and her head turned so she could see him fully. 

"Does every woman fall for that line?" Despite that, there was an amused lit to her words and the hints of a smile couldn't be denied. 

"Most." He chuckled before setting his drink down. "You are a hard woman to chase down."

"Maybe that is for a reason." 

Negan still didn't walk away with Blake's number that night. It didn't happen the next time either. Or the next. It was something that would have normally had him giving up, moving onto the next woman. But there was something that kept drawing him back to Blake. He couldn't give her up. No matter how many times he was turned down. He always kept it on the boarder of playful and eager since she always engaged with him but shut it down before it got too far. His aim wasn't to make the woman too uncomfortable.

It was just like any other night at the bar. Negan arrived before Blake, sitting down on a stool with a whiskey. Minutes ticked by where he remained alone. When she did show up, she seemed more agitated than usual. She barely greeted him before ordering her drink. Well, that was something that had him concerned. 

"Hey there sweetheart." He knew it wasn't smart to immediately ask what the problem was. So, he started off really basic. Sipping his whiskey, he waited for her to answer.

"Hello Negan." Her voice was a little flat, her shoulder dropped and slouched forward a bit. Everything about the woman was screaming defeated. If there was one thing that he knew for certain about Blake after all these weeks, it was that defeated was not a word that could be associated with her. His brow furrowed as he waited just a moment to see if she would offer up some information.

When none came, he knew he was going to have to push her a little bit.

"Someone I have to kill? I mean, I know people." He joked softly. 

"My ex." He winced at that, the tone of her voice telling him that this was something actually serious. There was a bit of a sinking feeling in his stomach when she didn't elaborate. Hopefully this wasn't the sort of prick that was going to show up at the bar and cause trouble. He wasn't above kicking the man's ass even if it caused him a world of trouble.

"Shit, I'm sorry doll." 

"It's fine." She shook her head and took a long sip of her drink. She was quiet for another few moments before letting out a sigh. Negan cocked a brow, waiting for what was about to come out of her mouth. "He just continually manages to get under my skin even when we aren't together. I should have left him much sooner than I actually did." 

"That much of a prick huh?"

"That doesn't even cover the half of it." Negan already didn't like the guy and he hadn't even met him. "I don't want to talk about him though." 

"Fair enough. No need to then." Negan paused and glanced around. "Why don't you let me get you some dinner? We'll get out of here and go some place a bit more quiet." She had never taken him up on the offer but when she nodded, he found himself surprised. A little different than he had planned it out but he would take what he could get right now.

"Yeah. You know what, that sounds like a good idea." Negan pulled his wallet out and put some cash down on the bar for both of their drinks.

"Well then, let's get the fuck out of here." She took one last sip of her drink before standing up. Her hand fell to his arm before they moved though.

"Thank you Negan." She spoke softly, her eyes not finding his face for the first time in weeks. 

"Don't have to thank me doll." Reaching up, he gave her hand a squeeze before they walked out of the bar and down the sidewalk towards the diner.


	3. Unrestricted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan can't keep his anger in check when he realizes that Blake's ex has laid hands on her.

It had been three weeks since Negan had convinced Blake to go to the diner from the bar. They had met up a few more times, each time cementing the woman a bit more firmly in his head. Each meet up was something simple and enjoyable for the both of them. Once more at the bar, coffee and breakfast, even just a small walk in the park. Even if it had only been a few times that they physically saw one another, Negan found himself talking to the woman on a near daily basis. She had yet to come to a game but that suited Negan just fine. It was actually nice to have someone that didn't know him, that wasn't concerned with his fame. What she seemed to enjoy was his personality rather than who he was. She didn't exactly seem like a sports fan though either. So she might not have enjoyed sitting and watching nine innings. 

They had plans that night, just consisting of meeting up at the bar for a few drinks and then maybe go for some ice cream now that the warmer weather was setting in. He knew that she had a few plans to stop by her exes place to pick up a few more possessions that had been left. Blake had shot him down quickly when Negan had offered to accompany her in case the prick gave her any sort of trouble. Likely she was worried about Negan not being able to control himself. From what he understood, the guy was pretty decent at getting under anyone's skin. The slimy sort of shit that he always hated. 

So, he opted in for an extra session of training before their back to back home games that weekend. Negan chose to spend most of his time with the bat, swinging at pitch after pitch, switching his stance ever so slightly so get the most power out of every movement. Soon enough, he was hitting almost every pitch and driving it into the field. Each crack of the bat settled him further and further into the routine, losing track of time. It wasn't until the pitches stopped coming. Letting out a breath, he glanced towards Gavin. 

"Dude, I have thrown like sixty pitches. My arm is done." Had it really been that many? He lowered his bat from his shoulder and glanced over at the clock to judge time. Yeah, it had really been that many given the fact that well over an hour had passed. 

"Alright, alright." He relented, not wanting to have the man mad at him. "I'll find something else to do then." Pulling his helmet off his head, he wiped the sweat from his brow and moved inside. Maybe he could do some weight and then get an ice bath before leaving to get ready to meet with Blake. 

Negan was relaxed and in a good mood as he stood outside the bar, waiting for his gorgeous date to show up. There weren't any cameras following him around this time. So hopefully they would truly have the evening to themselves. 

Those thoughts were dashed more time passed and she still hadn't shown up. Now he was worried instead of upset. If he hadn't known that she was heading to get things from her ex, he might have been a little more pissed off. He grabbed his phone immediately when it rang, not even bothering to look at the ID.

"Blake?"

"Negan....I'm sorry. I'm not going to be able to make it tonight." He frowned and gripped the phone a little tighter, a million scenarios running through his mind. Of course he wanted to jump back to her getting back with the ex but there was something in her voice that concerned him more. 

"What happened doll? Are you okay?" There was a pause and Negan knew that the next words out of her mouth would be a lie.

"I'm fine. Things just didn't go as well with David as I had hoped." The bastard had done something to her. 

"Let me pick up something to eat and I can swing by your place." He had only been once to drop her off. The offer might not be seen kindly but he had to make it.

"You don't have to do that. I can meet up with you in a few days. I already have a couple of plans that I can't get out of for the next few days." He could tell that she was bullshitting him. Glancing around, making sure that he wasn't being followed by anyone, he began walking.

"I want to." Getting to the car, he slid in and settled for another moment. "It will be a nice quiet night in for once alright?" He started the engine.

"Negan, please." The worry in her voice just seemed to confirm his fears. He was torn between doing what he wanted and respecting the boundaries that she was putting up. If she was hurt, like he thought she was and he left her to her own devices, he would feel like the biggest bag of shit that ever existed. But she might get more than upset with him and not want to talk to him if he did show up. It was a rock and a hard place for him to be stuck in. 

His worry about her won out though and he found himself sitting outside of her apartment. He had a box of pizza and a six pack as he stared at the apartment building. Blake was going to be pissed but he had to lay eyes on her, make sure that she was at least somewhat okay. If she didn't need any sort of medical attention, he would feel better. Worth the anger that he would be facing from her. 

Steeling himself, he grabbed everything he brought and headed up to her apartment. Knocking on the door, he waited as patiently as he could for her to come to the door. 

She didn't right away, which meant she likely had peeked outside to see him standing there.

"Come on Blake...I just need to know you are alright. That dickhead laid hands on you before, I know he would fucking do it again. I'm just worried about you Peaches. Let me in." It was as close to begging as he would get. The woman had some hell of a hold on him.

A few more moments passed before Blake did open the door. Negan was going to kill the bastard. He could see the black eye even as she attempted to hide it behind the door. Swallowing the angry sounds that wanted to come from him, he offered her the pizza and the beer.

"Brought dinner." She shook her head and sighed.

"I told you not to come Negan." She was upset, not taking the offered food and alcohol. He knew that this was something that would stick for a bit. 

"I knew the bastard laid hands on you when you didn't show up. I wanted to make sure that you didn't need to see anyone for it."

"I told you I was fine. You didn't need to end up here to see it." 

"At least take this. I'll go." He shoved the items at her again. He didn't want to get bitched out for his concern, even though he knew that was what he was facing when he had shown up. She took it with a sigh.

"Thanks. I'll see you later." She closed the door and left him out in the dark. He ran a hand over his face and decided that hitting the bar anyway was a good idea. Could he really blame her for the reaction? She had asked him not to show up. If there was one thing that he had learned about Blake over the past few weeks was that she was a strong woman. She probably didn't want him seeing her as weak. 

Finding a more secluded bar, he settled himself down and ordered a beer. His worry about Blake surpassed anything he had anticipated and he was trying to come to grips with it. Those thoughts were dashed when a familiar voice came echoing down the bar. He recognized it solely from the few phone calls he had been present for. Reflexively, his fingers tightened around the glass that was sitting in front fo him and he could practically feel his blood boiling. That was David, the scumbag bastard that had dared to lay hands on Blake today. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he was on his feet and moving towards the man. 

"Hey asshole." Yeah, that was a great way to start anything in a bar but Negan was beyond what consequences might come his way. He was pissed his night with Blake had been ruined, was pissed that this dickless fuck was walking around as if nothing was wrong, that he had laid hands on Blake like he had. 

"Excuse me?" David looked up and Negan knew that flash of recognition that crossed his face. "Aren't you..." Negan didn't let the man finish, fist flying and sucker punching the man. There were roars around him but it was background noise as he reached for his stunned opponent, grabbing the collar of his shirt and managing to land another punch. 

"Don't you ever fucking touch her again." David managed to land a blow of his own and it just set Negan off worse. Enough so he didn't register the sound of the sirens that were approaching the outside of the bar.


	4. Unsteady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake doesn't know how to react when she has to bail Negan out of jail.

Blake frowned when the news that she kept on in the background for noise, caught her attention. Reaching for the remote, she turned up the volume and actually focused on what was being said. 

"And star third baseman for the Richmond Tigers was arrested on assault charges. The incident was reported to occur at a local bar. It is unclear how the situation arose in the first place but the assaulted party was taken to the hospital and later released with non--life threatening injuries." Blake couldn't believe what she was hearing. Negan was arrested? What the hell had happened after he had left here? He was likely bailed out by now but it wouldn't hurt to see if anyone knew what was happening. If he was still sitting in the cell, well she was going to have to fix that.

So, Blake gave Rick a call. He likely couldn't share too much information but he would at least be able to tell her if Negan was still sitting in a cell or not. 

It was with reluctance that Rick explained that Negan was still at the station and waiting to be bailed out. Which came as a bit of a surprise to her. She had expected that he would be gone already. Did he really have no one else that would come to his aid when he needed it? Apparently not. When she asked how much it was to get him out, Rick warned her against it. His opinion of the man was not very high and he hadn't realized that Blake had any connection to him. So much for staying informed. Blake rolled her eyes. They had made at least one newspaper together. 

The warning did nothing to deter Blake. She knew Negan after all right? Ending up down at the jail with the money necessary to get him out, she waited patiently for a slightly disgruntled Rick to bring him out, since the sheriff decided to see to it personally. Which had earned another eye roll from Blake.

When he came out, Blake was surprised to find that he was sporting a black eye that matched her. He looked a bit sheepish as he walked over to her, though he was glad to get away from Sheriff Prick.

"You didn't have to come get me Peaches." He spoke softly as he came to a stop in front of her. He couldn't tell if she was pissed off or not. She had every right to be, coming and getting his ass out of county.

"What happened Negan?" She asked softly, taking his hand and leading him outside so that they could talk. When he was uncharacteristically silent, she began to worry. "Negan..."

"Ran into David in a bar..." That was about all he could say. It didn't take too much to be able to put two and two together from there. Blake immediately knew what had happened. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. Part of her felt some satisfaction knowing that David got a taste of his own medicine while another part of her was upset and pissed that Negan had risked everything that he had worked so hard for. Who knew what was going to happen with his spot on the team. Would he not be allowed to play because he had an assault charge pending against him? Did it cost him any sort of advancement in his career? She knew without having to ask that he was the aggressor in the situation. He wouldn't have been able to handle his anger about it since he had left her apartment, seeing her with her black eye. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think about how she could handle this whole situation.

"You didn't need to do any of that Negan. What's going to happen to your spot on the team?" He shrugged.

"Fuck if I know. Gonna have to talk to to my coach and the owner of the team. Boardroom bullshit." He was acting as if it was nothing.

"Negan, I'm serious."

"So am I." He glanced towards her. "That fucker put his hands on you Blake. He should have gotten more than he got." Blake realized that he was dead serious about it. She wasn't sure how to take that, how to process it. After David, having that sort of respect and care from someone was foreign to her. Sure some of it stemmed from his own jealousy and anger. She wasn't blind about that. But those emotions had never been directed at her. She didn't think they ever really would.

"It wasn't worth you risking everything you have worked for Negan." 

"Of fucking course it was." There was going to be no arguing this point. She sighed and motioned towards her car. 

"Come on. I am sure you could use a meal..." Back to her apartment seemed like the only logical place to go. A meal and maybe some sleep. Then they could try to go back to this conversation. She wasn't letting it go but now wasn't the time to go toe to toe with the man. He nodded and allowed her to lead him to her car.

The ride to the apartment was quiet, a near awkwardness that hadn't been present between them before. Neither party was sure how to break it, leaving it lingering even as they walked through the door. She moved to get them some drinks, telling the man to make himself comfortable. It gave her a few extra seconds alone to figure out what she was going to say to him. Though it didn't help as she carried the drinks to the living room.

"Do you need me to go with you when you talk to whoever it is?" Blake asked as she sat down beside him, the glass occupying both hands for the time being. Negan was quiet beside her for several long seconds.

"No." He shook his head. "You don't need to be involved in this shit."

"I am the reason you are in this shit to begin with." She reminded him gently as she sipped the alcohol that she was going to need despite the early hour.

Negan opened his mouth to respond but found that he had nothing to say to counter the point. In a way she was right. He grunted for a moment.

"It's that assholes fault, not yours." 

"His actions towards me drove your own."

"Fuck Peaches, come on." He rubbed his eyes and put his head in his hands. The frustration was clear in his voice.

"Negan, I just bailed you out of jail. I think I have a right to push a bit here. Especially when you were in jail because I have an ex that just can't seem to understand that we are over and keep his hands to himself." She was proud that she managed to not sound too pissed off about it all. Instead, her voice came out firm. She wasn't taking Negan's bullshit right now. "I got enough flack for bailing you out to begin with. I understand you were angry about it Negan. But you can't go doing something like this. You don't know where it is going to put you with your career. Not to mention, even if you are still allowed to play, it is going to give you a horrible reputation. Then, on top of that all, you have David who will likely be a bastard and try to sue or something like that. He isn't going to go away" At the very end was where her voice shook a bit. She just wanted the man out of her life but Negan may have just dragged him right back in. 

Looking at Negan, she could tell that he felt guilty. His face was a little more drawn, lips pulled down in a frown. At least those words had gotten through to him. She sighed softly.

"Listen, I get it Negan. I don't blame you for wanting to do something to the man. But there is a lot at stake here and I don't think you thought those things through. I want to be done with the man, not have him involved in my life more, involved with us..." 

"I'm sorry." His voice was soft when he spoke, just another sign that he was comprehending the situation that they now found themselves in. "I saw fucking red when the fuck was there. I couldn't....I couldn't get that damn black eye out of my head." Finally, she set down her glass and scooted closer, taking his now empty glass and setting it beside hers. Taking his hands in hers, she squeezed them softly. 

"I know." Blake dipped her head a bit so she could look him in the eye. "And while I really do appreciate the gesture and the emotions behind it, we are going to have to deal with the fallout. Us both." She murmured. Right now, he was here and they could take the afternoon to recover. When shit hit the fan, and it would, they were going to need to be ready to face it.


End file.
